Cusumano – Merlot IGT Terre Siciliane, 2016

Casanova di Neri’s Brunello di Montalcino 2010 is a beautiful wine, from one of the all-time great Brunello vintages. Refined and elegant with gorgeous aromas of ripe cherries, blackberry, smoke, leather and fresh floral notes. Focused and tightly wound with wonderful fine-grained tannins and a long lingering finish. This is younger brother of the 2010 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino ‘Tenuta Nuova’, which scored 100 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

96 Points James Suckling
“Gorgeous aromas of sea salt, savory, smoked meats and dried fruits follow through to a full body, with fine tannins and a long and intense finish. So beautiful and enticing. Goes on for minutes. Excellent quality for the standard bottling of this winery. Better in 2016.”

96 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
“The outstanding 2010 Brunello di Montalcino gives you everything you want to see in a great wine, a great Tuscan wine. This monumental expression of Sangiovese delivers top-notch intensity with seamless integration of aromas. They span from dark fruit and Morello cherry to chocolate, spice, licorice, balsam herb and rosemary sprig. The energy and vitality of the vintage is locked perfectly within. This Brunello exhibits especially soft, silky tannins with long persistence and momentum. There is nothing out of place and the price tag is certainly not exaggerated for this level of excellence.”

Casanova di Neri
The Casanova di Neri Estate was founded by Giovanni Neri in 1971 and is now run by his son Giacomo. Giacomo has spent several years acquiring the best possible vineyards within the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG area. Most recently, he has re-developed the winemaking facilities at Casanova di Neri and has just completed an impressive underground winery and cellar. Giacomoâ??s passion and expertise, together with 55 hectares of vineyards, represent the ideal combination for producing wines with exceptional personality, uniqueness, and recognisable characteristics. The Casanova di Neri vineyards, set on the slopes of Montalcino, are influenced by radical differences in soil, microclimate and surrounding vegetation, whilst maintaining a maximum separation of just one kilometre. Although primarily an advocate of Brunello (a Sangiovese clone), Giacomo has recently experimented with international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon for his Pietradonice DOC. The winery is now recognised as one of the finest producers in Italy. It has been awarded the Tre Bicchieri at the Gambero Rosso and received international recognition in the wine industry’s most important publications.